The not-so-Breakfast Club
by FloraIrmaTylee
Summary: Rapunzel's this cheerleader who gets along with everyone. Jack's this troublemaking loner. Merida's a jock with a fiery temper. And Hiccup is this nerd who's always picked on. The four of them meet in detention, and an unlikely friendship starts, eventually blossoming into something more than four random kids forced together. ROTBTD fic, Highschool AU. Cover by graciemanonla
1. Meeting in Detention

**Shhh. Do you hear that? It's people, yelling at me angrily about neglecting my stories. Exactly why I started a new one, yet another high school AU But this time just ROTBTD. Pairings- well, if you've read my stories before, you know what I ship. JackunzelxMericcup, baby! **

"I can't get detention," Rapunzel Corona muttered to herself, clutching her backpack to her chest and staring at the dark blue door that defined her doom. Aka the detention room. "Mother will kill me, she'll kill me-" _Why had she even snuck out of class to ditch with Flynn anyway? Oh, right, because he was her boyfriend. And when he gave her that warm, convincing smile, Rapunzel just melted and agreed to those brown eyes of his_. The door opened sharply, and the dark, unamused glare of her teacher Pitch Black frowned back.

"Ms. Corona," he said icily. "I've been waiting."

"S-sorry, Mr. Black," Rapunzel said, rigidly walking inside. He followed her, closing the door once they were both inside, and gestured for her to take a seat. Besides him, seated behind the wooden desks, in navy plastic chairs, where seated only three people. Three people Rapunzel knew vaguely, most only by name and reputation.

Merida Dunbroch. Born archer, one of the toughest girls in school and most commonly known for her crazy head of red curls. The hair came with freckles and blue eyes, that made her unforgettable. She was sitting with her chin on her fist, a scowl on her pretty features.

Hiccup Haddock. A nerdy boy with a thing for dragon and wizard roleplaying games, messy brown hair splayed across his forehead accompanied by freckles and dark green eyes that needed glasses. How he got in detention, Rapunzel was curious. He looked nervous, sweating through the sweater vest he had on and fiddling with his glasses.

And, finally, Jack Frost. A troublemaker with a cocky grin and a charming personality. Pale, almost white, bleached hair that flopped over his forehead and ice blue eyes. He had his legs up on his desk, that smirk firmly planted on his face.

"Feet off, Frost," Pitch snarled. Jack made a big show of letting his feet clomp onto the floor, crossing his arms in mock defiance. Pitch glared at the boy with hate. "Rapunzel, if you could just take an empty seat." Rapunzel scurried to sit behind Jack, across from Merida.

Merida gave her a once-over before going back to staring at her desk, without interest. Rapunzel cowered back, letting her hair frame her face and tried to hide the fact that they all terrified her at the moment.

"This is detention," Pitch said, and began pacing the room. "No talking or eating whatsoever, is that clear? You'll be spending five hours here, so get comfortable, kids." Hiccup made a noise that sounded like a squeak as he sank in his seat. Merida just rolled her eyes and studied her nails, which Rapunzel couldn't help but notice would look great with some nail polish. Jack had just kept staring at Pitch with his signature grin, making the older man glare back spitefully.

"What can we do then?" Jack asked lazily, stretching his arms out behind his head.

"You, of all people Frost, have been here countless weekends already," Pitch snapped. "You can do a quiet activity on your own here- that does not include texting on any sort of electronic device. I'm confiscating those." Taking a plastic black tray, he held it out to Hiccup. "Every electronic, Haddock." With some reluctance, Hiccup handed over his black phone and a video game console.

Pitch moved on to Merida. The redhead handed over her expensive-looking phone, and then also placed in her tablet and laptop, which she had taken out of her backpack. Rapunzel, in turn, just handed in her phone, while Jack tossed his in before Pitch even reached him.

"Loaded, Princess?" Jack asked Merida at her impressive array of toys.

"Did ah ask ye, Frost?" Merida snapped, turning away prissily in her seat. From in front of her, Hiccup swallowed hard, nervous at the prospect of rule breaking. Rapunzel couldn't blame him. She was shaking a bit herself.

"No talking," Pitch said, but that was expected. "You may all work on something quietly." There was shuffling as notebooks were taken out of backpacks, and paper was ripped out. Rapunzel took out her sketchpad, Merida took out math homework, and Hiccup took out a book. In an act of rebellion, Jack simply sat back and started at Pitch with a smug smirk.

Worried for him, Rapunzel lightly tapped him on the shoulder. He turned so his face was near her, and she leaned towards his ear so she could whisper. "You should get something to work on," she muttered.

"Don't worry about me," Jack said, unfazed and turned back around. "When you've been to detention as much as I have-"

"I said no talking Mr. Frost," Pitch snapped. "Or shall I assign you next weekend detention as well?" Jack challenged him with his eyes, still never taking that smile off of his face. Pitch frowned and turned back to some papers on his desk.

Merida scribbled on her paper, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion. Hiccup kept his nose buried in the pages, his face red, most likely of embarrassment. Jack still kept staring at Pitch. Rapunzel leaned over her own activity, stroking pencil on the paper in an attempt to draw a basic face. Pitch stood up, and began pacing the room, his amber eyes lingering on each student. Until his phone started ringing, the sounds of thunder rumbling filling the room. Which only confirmed Rapunzel's suspicions- that the detention teacher was a total creep.

"Hello," Pitch answered gruffly. There was a pause while the other person was talking. "I told you, I'm taking the detention today." Jack snickered, listening in. Pitch shot Jack a death glare before continuing. "She did what?" Hiccup looked up from his book with interest; but looked down quickly again after Pitch sent him a glare as well. Rapunzel exchanged a look with Merida, who gave the subtlest shrug of shoulders before looking back down herself.

"She-! I'm going to have to go quickly and come back," Pitch said, hurrying to grab his coat, and his briefcase. The kids' interests were peaked again at the prospect, and looked around at each other. Pitch hung up the phone, his face contorted into a scowl. He tossed his coat on, and held his leather case firmly.

"Alright, listen up you kids," Pitch said. "I need to run somewhere. I will be back soon however, so that does not mean you can talk. I expect you all to have work done and be quiet when I come back." With that, Pitch flourished out of the room, not even bothering to lock it or anything.

Rapunzel, left alone with the other three, looked up at them. They all looked back, just as baffled. Only Jack seemed chill about the situation.

"Who else wants to ditch this place?" he asked charmingly, making eyes at Merida. She rolled her eyes, Rapunzel bit her lip, and Hiccup practically fell out of his chair.

"In yer dreams," Merida snorted. "The teacher said not tae-"

"Not to talk," Jack cut her off. "He didn't say anything about leaving."

"We can't!" Rapunzel piped in. "He- he's coming back soon!"

"This is obviously your first time in detention," Jack leaned back in his chair. "You're all a bunch of goody-two shoes, eh?" Hiccup turned red at his words, pushed his glasses up farther on his nose, and continued to read. Rapunzel gaped openly. No one had ever been so blunt with her; she was usually just treated nicely.

"We can' all be no-goods, goin' nowhere in life like yeh!" Merida exploded, her head snapping up with such ferocity, that her curls flew up straight in the air.

"Geez Princess," Jack smirked. "Jealous? I'll bet it was that nasty temper that landed you in here."

"Don' call mah Princess," Merida snarled. "Why ah'm in here is none o' yer business."

"Touchy, like all redheads, eh?" Jack continued to bait her.

"Oh, yer askin' fer it, pretty boy," Merida growled, raising from her seat.

"You think I'm pretty?" Jack feigned shock, grinning widely and dramatically placing his hand on her chest.

"That's it, yeh asshole-" Merida marched towards Jack, who grinned challengingly. Before she could get any closer though, Hiccup reached out and held her waist to stop her from pounding the boy. The movement made Merida fall backward in surprise; not anticipating the skinny brunette's arms around herself. She ended up in his lap, and Jack burst out laughing.

"Haddock, already scoring within the first ten minutes," Jack said approvingly.

"N-no, I-I," Hiccup stammered, as Merida shoved Hiccup in the chest, standing up in a fury.

"Don' touch-" Merida began angrily, as Hiccup cowered away. Jack watched the spectacle with amusement. Rapunzel's green eyes flickered all around her, unsure what to do.

"I'm sorry, but you looked like you were going to-" Hiccup leaned further away from Merida until he fell off his chair in his haste.

"He deserved it, that's why!" Merida's hands were balled up fists, glaring at Hiccup with hate.

"Are you going to beat him up, or are you guys going to make out, or what?" Jack watched them still. Merida whirled around, her wrath focused on the pale haired boy now.

"Ye little rat!" she snarled. "Ah'm gonna-"

"Don't fight!" Rapunzel spoke up, finally, holding out her hands. Hiccup pulled himself back onto his chair, and all three of them turned to look at the long-haired blond.

"We should introduce ourselves," Rapunzel continued.

"Fer what?" Merida crossed her arms, standing in front of Jack's desk.

"To- get to know each other better," Rapunzel said. "We're going to be sending five hours together, right?"

"So, that doesn't mean that ah want tae get to know both o' these two losers," Merida snapped, walking over to her seat.

"Sure seems like it," Jack said. "Already sitting in Haddock's lap, calling me pretty-" Before Merida could bite back some insult, Hiccup spoke up.

"Hiccup," he said. "It's Hiccup, not Haddock." As all the eyes shifted to him, he blushed red again.

"I'm Rapunzel," Rapunzel offered to make him feel better, and he smiled back with ease.

"Jack," Jack said finally, breaking the silence that followed. They all turned to face Merida, who groaned as she sat down.

"Merida," the redhead muttered as she plopped in her seat, still never taking her eyes off of Jack with hate.

"See? We've all met!" Rapunzel beamed. "That wasn't so hard, was it?" Jack and Hiccup exchanged looks, both of them secretly thinking the same thing: that she was far nicer than they expected.

"Yer new here, aren' yeh?" Merida said, with her arms crossed. Rapunzel was slightly surprised at that question.

"No, I've been going to Dreamworks high since-"

"Ah mean tae detention," Merida said, cutting off the blond. "Ye need tae know how things go in here. We all ignore each other, and we're not supposed tae talk tae each other anyway."

"But Mr. Black isn't here," Rapunzel said quietly.

"No, ah mean just us four," Merida rolled her eyes. "Since yer still stuck up in yer perfect little world where everyone can be friends, let mah make somethin' clear. None of us are even in the same league."

"League?" Rapunzel prompted.

"Yer one o' the most popular girls in school, this cheerleader who's datin' this '_hottest guy at school_'," Merida said, and then waved to her next unsuspecting subjects. "Ye get along with everyone. Frosty the snowman here, is this sort o' loner that makes trouble. Haddock's a nerd that no one likes, and ah'm a jock. Those people are not usually friends." From next to her, Hiccup nodded his agreement, though Merida's comment about himself had gotten him offended. Even Jack had to admit she was right, and also somberly nodded. Rapunzel, however, wasn't so easily convinced.

"So what?" she said defiantly, jutting out her chin. "I think you guys are all nice."

"Nice!" Jack hooted, laughing loudly. His mouth, open so wide, showed a silver tongue stud. "I don't know what school you've been going to, but I'm not nice."

"Yeah, that's true," Merida said, leaning back in her seat. "Ah don' even have a lot o' friends. People think ah'm weird."

"I wonder why," Jack said dryly, and Merida tossed an eraser at his head.

"Like yer one tae be talkin', Frosty!" she snarled. Hiccup, who had been silent, finally offered his own comment.

"You know, Merida has a point," he said. "We're all from different social statuses, we can't just- get along."

"That's stupid!" Rapunzel said hotly, slamming her palms on the table. Jack, who was in front of her, looked at her with surprise. "We're all the same. Inside," the girl continued. "Why can't we just forget the ridiculous social status we have and become friends?"

"Because ah hate yeh all," Merida deadpanned, and stared away from them. Hiccup swallowed hard, but turned around to face his book again. Jack gave Rapunzel a toothy smile and an apologetic shrug before turning to the front himself. As the room dissolved into silence, Rapunzel dejectedly set her sketchbook back in front of her.

That was when the scream rang out. Rapunzel turned sharply to face Merida, who was up on her desk, scrambling to get away from a small, black furry thing. Hiccup was out of his desk in an instant, rushing towards the thing with his arms outstretched.

"What is that thing?!" Merida screeched, almost falling off of her desk. "It's missin' ah leg an' it's hideous!"

"Toothless, Toothless!" Hiccup reached for the cat, safely scooping it back into his arms. "Bud, I told you not to get out of my backpack-"

"Why do ye have that?!" Merida's voice was still loud and panicky. Jack bit back a laugh, pressing his knuckle to his teeth. Rapunzel just gaped at the two of them, seeing as they had pretty much related that they all hated one another...

"This is Toothless, my kitten," Hiccup stroked the black cat fondly, and Toothless let out a happy purr, revealing a mouthful of broken and scarce teeth.

"It's hideous!" Merida reiterated, sliding off of her desk and backing away. "What's wrong with it?!"

"You don't need to be scared!" Hiccup tried to reassure her, cuddling Toothless. Rapunzel, seeing he wasn't harmful, smiled sweetly at the cat herself. Jack just gave it a wary look, doubtful whether it would be okay to make fun of a cat that was missing a left leg.

"Why do ye have it?!" Merida said angrily, repeating her earlier words. "Yer in detention!"

"I know, but my dad hates Toothless," Hiccup said sadly. "He's always mean to him. So I snuck him in here. I gave him food and water in a plastic box, but I guess the backpack was stuffy."

"How can anyone hate something this adorable?!" Rapunzel was up on her feet, and stroked Toothless' head. Hiccup smiled at her words, and Toothless let out another happy purr. Merida grabbed her backpack, holding it out in front of her in case Toothless came closer.

"Just out of curiosity, Hic..." Jack drawled, leaning back lazily in his chair, "Why, of all kittens, did you get one that has horrendous teeth and missing a leg?" Rapunzel waited for the answer herself, and even Merida had stopped backing up in wait.

"Because when I saw him-" Hiccup stroked his pet. "I saw myself. I saw a poor, broken soul who needed love, even though its appearance was ghastly."

"Well, we know how Hiccup views himself," Jack wisecracked, but Rapunzel's eyes had the slightest of tears. She pressed her lips to Toothless' head, and then gave Hiccup a hug.

"I think that's really sweet," she said. Hiccup, taken aback, let a smile break through. Merida let her backpack fall to the floor with a clang, and then glared at the cat.

"It's still hideous," the redhead decided, and slunk back into her chair. Jack had already tuned the rest of them out, sticking earbuds in his ears to hear the music of a small iPod he held.

"We should let the little cutie run around!" Rapunzel said eagerly, gently taking the cat from Hiccup. Even with music blaring, Jack heard that and snorted.

"He's got three legs-" Jack singsonged.

"Forgot about that," Rapunzel said sheepishly, just as she had been about to set him down.

"No, that's fine," Hiccup gestured for her to let Toothless on the floor. "He limps, but he can get around pretty well." Rapunzel let the cat down, and Toothless limped around to the other side of the room, until he reached a corner, where he rested himself there. Rapunzel and Hiccup smiled at this act, like proud parents, but only Jack had a clear view on what Toothless was doing.

"Dude-" Jack snickered. "Your cat's taking a piss."

"Toothless, no!" Hiccup's eyes bulged in realization, running to grab the cat. Rapunzel groaned, hiding her eyes with her hands. Merida was free to snigger along with Jack, as Hiccup scolded his cat.

"Ye should clean that up before Pitch comes back," Merida said knowingly. "Ain't that right, Rapunzel?"

"Merida's right," Rapunzel nodded her agreement. "Is there cleaning supplies around here somewhere?" Hiccup began to look, but Jack shook his head.

"Nope," he said. "Last week Pitch dropped his soda all over the desk; he had to go get soap and stuff from the janitor."

"Is the janitor here?" Hiccup asked hopefully. Jack shook his head again.

"He always leaves early every third Saturday of the month," he said.

"Ye've spent far too much time in here," Merida noted, to which Jack smiled charmingly and shrugged.

"Could we maybe get the stuff ourselves?" Rapunzel asked, walking towards the classroom door. Hiccup was quick to rush and stand in front of that door.

"No, Pitch said-"

"He said nothing about leaving," Jack said cockily, and turned to Merida. "How 'bout it, Princess? Up to exploring the school when it's empty?"

"Don' call mah-" Merida growled, but Jack was already advancing onto Hiccup to force his way past. He didn't have to, however, because Hiccup moved out of the way to get Toothless from where the kitten had discovered Merida's backpack. Merida let out a screech and swatted at the cat, spewing profanities about the ugly thing.

"What about it, Punz?" Jack asked, opening the door to reveal an empty corridor. It took Rapunzel a second or two to realize he'd just given her a nickname, but she smiled at it.

"This could be fun!" Rapunzel beamed, bouncing on her heels. "Hiccup?"

"We need the cleaning stuff, then we're coming back," Hiccup said, as he stroked a restless Toothless.

"Then you're in luck, Fun happens to be my middle name," Jack said with a smug smirk. The three of them turned to face Merida, each questioning. Hiccup had a what-the-hell demeanor, Jack still had that stupid grin, and Rapunzel had the brightest, most excited smile the redhead had ever seen on a person.

"This is goin' tae be a disaster, isn' it?" Merida groaned as she stood up to join them.

**Toothless is a cat to me, because- I don't know. Cats can survive with three legs, I guess. Hope it was okay to read, I know this has been done before but- I'm trying to make it original**.


	2. Da da da, we're dead

**As always, you all know what a terrible updater I am. But this story's different. It'll actually have plot this time, guys. Look at this and read it carefully, because such stories are endangered in my story drafts. But omfg thank you all for the favs, follows and reviews. I got an ah-mazing cover art to the fanfiction, but ****_graciemanola_**** who's on Deviantart. Check her out, yeah? T rated for a reason, just saying. Drinking happens, and yup.. **

Hiccup opened the classroom door carefully, the wood creaking slightly on its old hinges. He stuck his head around the door, surveying his surroundings; but there was no other evident signs of life. He waved Rapunzel, Jack and Merida out in a universal sign that the coast was clear.

"Let's try and find the stuff quick, before Mr. Black comes," Hiccup said in a hushed whisper as the three spilled out into the hallway.

"What's your rush?" Jack strolled easily to the side of the corridor. "Pitch usually takes his time when he leaves. At least two hours."

"You call him by his first name?" Rapunzel looked terrified at the prospect. Jack shrugged.

"Look, Frosty the snowman-" Merida exhaled, irritated. "We're only doin' this fer that stupid, ugly cat. So let's just find the stuff and have Hiccup clean it up."

"What would be the fun in that?" Jack grinned cockily. "Come on, Princess. Let's have a little fun."

"Don't call mah-"

"Jack, I'm with Merida on this one," Hiccup said. "Let's try and find the closet first?" Merida gave the brunette boy a strange look about his agreeing with her: equal parts triumphant and disgusted.

"Fifteen minutes," Jack declared. "That's all I'm asking of you guys before you clean that cat pee." Rapunzel was never one to say no, especially when the person talking to her sent that attractive smirk her way.

"Okay," Rapunzel let herself agree. "Hiccup, won't you...?" She set her green eyes on Hiccup's, her pretty face straining with hopefulness. How was Hiccup going to say no to that?

"Sure," he said finally. "Merida?" Merida, as usual, was the most stubborn out of all of them. She gave them all discontent looks, but didn't want to go back into the classroom alone. She would have the satisfaction of not breaking detention rules, but then again, when did Merida even care for rules?

"Ugh fine," Merida gave in. Rapunzel's face lit up. "Fifteen minutes, Frosty! Got it?"

"Got it," Jack complied, giving her a mock bow and enjoying the sputtering look Merida gave him. He gestured for them all to follow him, and the three dutifully followed the pale, blue-eyed boy.

"So what is it you want us to do for fifteen minutes?" Rapunzel asked curiously, as Jack lead them down another hallway.

"Illegal things," Jack said, unfazed. At his words, Hiccup made a girly squeaking sound that sounded unnatural and stopped in his tracks. Rapunzel also paused herself, but Merida halted angrily.

"What did ye say?" Merida prodded, asking furiously.

"Illegal things," Jack repeated. Hiccup and Rapunzel exchanged looks of terror while Merida just furrowed her brows and set her mouth in a hard line.

"We are not breakin' the law," the redhead snapped. "No way. Ah'm not gettin' mixed up in yer stupid-"

"Relax, eh, Princess?" Jack said, raising his eyebrows and continued walking, the others reluctantly following. "It's not like you're helping me carry a dead body or anything. It's harmless fun." At that point, Rapunzel got the distinction that Jack's idea of "fun" didn't match her own definition.

"Jack, w-we can't," Hiccup was red in the face. That shy, stuttering nerd from the beginning of detention was back.

"Calm down, will ya?" Jack said easily, stopping in front of a locker. He messed with the locker until getting the combination right, swinging the gray metal door on its hinges. Rapunzel looked away, covering her face with her hands. Whatever he was going to take out of that locker, she didn't know; all she knew was that she didn't want to see it.

"Ye've got tae be kiddin' mah," Merida's voice, while still biting, had the slightest hint of admiration. Rapunzel slowly peeked out from behind her fingers. Jack, with a beaming smile, held out a bottle of vodka. Hiccup avoided looking at them, and instead fixed his eyes on the floor uncomfortably.

"Anyone volunteer to go first?" Jack swished the bottle around, and the liquid sloshed in its glass confinement. "C'mon, take a gulp."

"Yer so stupid," Merida said hotly, but snatched the bottle from his hands. "If none o' these ninnies will..." Unscrewing the bottle, she tilted it to her lips and took a large drink, gulping it down.

"Impressive," Jack raised his eyebrows in approval. Merida removed the bottle from her lips, and let a gloating smile replace it.

"Stuff burns like hell," she said, and handed the vodka back. "An okay choice, fer a boy like yeh."

"Glad you approve, Princess," Jack said, and that glare returned to Merida's face.

"Shut. Up," the Scot hissed at him. "Are ye goin' tae take a drink yerself, or are ye goin' tae stand there?"

"Of course," Jack smirked, and took a swing from the bottle himself. The drink burned his throat, just as it had to Merida's. "Euch." Rapunzel and Hiccup just watched them, horrified at this.

"Care tae try, Haddock?" Merida snatched the bottle again, holding it to Hiccup's unsuspecting face.

"N-no thanks," Hiccup stammered. "I don't do that."

"O' course ye don'," Merida said knowingly. "But did ye ever try?"

"No," Hiccup said.

"So drink it," Merida said, shoving it towards his mouth.

"No!" came out of Hiccup's throat in a most childish manner. "That's harmful to my body."

"Yer such a nerd," Merida said, but she didn't snort like Jack did. Instead, she turned to Rapunzel. "How about ye, Blondie?"

"Umm, no," Rapunzel's face was aflame. "My mom wouldn't like that."

"Of course she wouldn', but do yeh want tae anyway?" Merida prodded further.

"No thank you," Rapunzel said quickly, but Merida just shrugged their rejection off.

"Yer loss," she said, and tossed it to Jack, who caught it nimbly. "How many can yeh take before loosin' it, Frosty?"

"Oh, so we're making this a contest," Jack's blue eyes sparkled in mischief. Holding the vodka back up to his mouth, he drank about a quarter of it, the clear liquid spilling through his lips, before he was forced to set it down and cough repeatedly.

"Yer okay," Merida said, unimpressed, "But watch this." Grabbing the bottle back, she downed about half like it was water. "Ergh!" Letting the bottle drop back into Jack's locker, the redhead coughed like Jack did and rubbed at her watery eyes. "Stuff's strong-"

"Have fun destroying your liver," Jack quipped, and Merida glared again.

"Look Frosty, yer fifteen minutes are almost up. Do ye want tae just argue 'em out?" she shot back.

"Fine, fine," Jack closed his locker again, sealing his liquor inside. "We might as well go look for these cleaning supplies."

"Good idea," some color seemed to return to Hiccup's face as he spoke with relief.

"But I need your help," Jack said, before they could speak.

"With what?" Rapunzel asked curiously.

"Yesterday, the Chemistry teacher took my phone," Jack said, "And I know for a fact that she keeps the phones she takes away in her desk drawer, and locks it."

"And ye want us tae break it out, don't yeh?" Merida crossed her arms.

"That would be ideal," Jack grinned.

"W-we should split up," Hiccup said. "You know, so we can do both things and then finish faster."

"Good idea, Hiccup," Jack said. "Want to help me break into the classroom?"

"Actually, since it's my cat, you know, I think I should go find cleaning supplies-" Hiccup said nervously.

"Merida-?" Jack turned to the redhead with a smile.

"Hell no. Ah'm goin' with Hiccup," Merida decided, grabbing the brunette boy's arm and causing said boy to blush fiercely.

"Punz?" Jack's smile made Rapunzel jump.

"Umm, sure," she said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear nervously. Jack smiled broadly and reached out to take her hand before she could even register what was happening, and pulled Rapunzel in the direction of the classrooms. Merida did the same with Hiccup, and the four somehow managed to lose each other.

.

.

.

* * *

.

.

.

Jack tried the chemistry lab doorknob, but it was no use; it was fastened shut. Grunting, Jack worked at the lock for a few moments with his fingernail before looking around for something pointy.

"Here," Rapunzel said, reaching into the long blonde lengths of hair and brandishing a bobby pin. Jack took it gratefully, stuck it into the lock, and wiggled it carefully. A click told him his efforts were successful, and the he pushed open the unlocked door. Rapunzel took a deep breath, braced herself, and followed Jack inside.

The chemistry room was dark. Running a hand along the wall, Jack found the switch and turned the lights on. Rapunzel inhaled a sharp breath as she remembered how morally wrong it was to sneak and steal from a place so sacred to her.

"She keeps them in her desk, I think," Jack said, and he moved towards the wooden piece of furniture. Rapunzel followed him again, but was still hesitant, clutching a strand of hair like her life depended on it.

"Here!" Jack found the drawer, but presumably, it was locked, and he looked around for the bobby pin Rapunzel had given him so that he could pick this lock too. Rapunzel, seeing as he couldn't find it, reached into her hair again for another one. The braids that ornamented her hair were falling by now, but she didn't care. Jack took it gratefully and wiggled it around in the lock until a click told them it was open.

"Got it!" Jack said gleefully, and yanked open the drawer. Rummaging around in the contents for a while, he came up empty-handed, but found something else that he liked by the way his face lit up.

"What?" Rapunzel asked, fearfully.

"Look at this," Jack said, and brandished a pink, frilly bra.

"_Jack_!" Rapunzel squealed, and covered her face as if she could unsee that. "W-what? Who- who's is that of?"

"Heck if I know," Jack said, and laid it on the desk. "But it's with the confiscated stuff that the chem teacher took, so it has to be a student's."

"Put it back!" Rapunzel said, flicking hair out of her face in anxiety.

"Alright, alright," Jack stuffed the undergarment back into the drawer carelessly. "Hey, look at this-!" He pulled something else out of the drawer, and Rapunzel was careful to avert her eyes this time.

"A note," Jack said, "But that's not what's weird about it. It's about who it's from that's funny." Rapunzel buried her face in her hands. And then,

"Is it dirty?" came out the blond's mouth, muffled by her fingers. Jack chuckled at Rapunzel's chastity, but shook his head.

"No, just look." Rapunzel looked, and Jack held out a piece of paper. The distinguishing scrawl of a girl's handwriting was scribbled all over the paper in this disgustingly girly letter. Rapunzel admired the calligraphy for about two seconds before beginning to read.

"_Hi Macintosh. My mum wants me to go out with you for some reason, so here's your one chance. You can take me out Friday night at eight o'clock, or you can forget about dating me, got it_?" Rapunzel read it, and her sweet voice just didn't match the hostile tone of the writing. "Signed, Merida-?"

"I know right?" Jack laughed at the prospect of Merida trying to be romantic. "She fucking tried to decorate it with hearts and some shi-"

"Jack, please," Rapunzel interrupted him. "I think that's sweet." She smiled at the paper fondly.

"Sure," Jack snorted like he didn't believe her, but didn't press on the subject and instead rummaged through the drawer again, still looking for his phone.

"Found it!" Jack smiled broadly, and held up a phone. Clicking the on button and seeing the wallpaper, his lips curled into a smile. "Oh, wait, this isn't my phone..." Rapunzel tried to take a peek at the screen, but Jack held it away infuriatingly and opened it up.

"Look at this, it doesn't have a password," Jack said, that gloating tone still in voice. "And it's got a picture of Punz right here as the screensaver..."

"What?!" Rapunzel's voice rang up a few octaves. "Give me that-!"

"Could this belong to your boyfriend, the leader of that motorcycle gang?" Jack said, swiping on the screen.

"Leave Flynn alone!" Rapunzel reached up for the phone, but Jack held it higher, still smirking. "_JACK_!"

"Calm down, it's just harmless reading," Jack said. "Of the texts you sent him." Mocking Rapunzel, he made his voice high pitched and girly. "_Hi Flynn, Mother says I can't go out tonight. Maybe we can ditch first period tomorrow to hang out? Smiley face_."

"Jack, stop reading those! They're private!" Rapunzel tried to grab the phone again, but only succeeded in throwing her arms around Jack's neck and clinging helplessly.

"He said, '_Cool babe, see you then_.'," Jack said, forcing his voice to become deep and suave. "Do the two of you sext?"

"You perv!" Rapunzel took a final swipe for the phone, as Jack pushed her arms away and took a few steps to the right in an attempt to get away.

"Geez Sunshine, you've got quite a temper there," Jack smirked, and handed the phone to Rapunzel. "My phone's better than his though, so there's no way I would take his instead."

"Hmph," Rapunzel muttered, and clutched her boyfriend's phone to her chest protectively. Jack, after a few more moments of searching, came up with his own phone and grinned.

"Got it for real this time. Let's go find Merida and Hiccup," Jack said. "Take Merida's note too; let's tease her about it." Rapunzel couldn't help it, her annoyance at Jack was melting away again.

"That's so evil," she said, letting a giggle slip past her pink lips. "But fine." Jack reached for Rapunzel's hand to yank her in the direction of their fellow detention inmates, and she willingly let him clutch her fingers in his this time.

Right as they set everything in the room back in order, something came up to haunt them again. The familiar jingle of janitor's keys left Jack and Rapunzel to stare into each other's eyes again in horror.

"Shit, he's back early..."

.

.

.

* * *

.

.

.

Wandering down the empty hallway, Hiccup trailed Merida, who was walking fast like she needed to get somewhere.

"Slow down, will you?" Hiccup quickened his pace.

"Ah don' 'slow down'," Merida said impatiently, and reached the first closet. Without waiting for Hiccup, she pulled it open to examine its contents. Hiccup came to her side moments later, only for her to slam the door shut.

"Hey!" Hiccup cried, as the door came close to hitting him. Merida just continued to walk, leaving Hiccup rushing after her again. Opening another closet, not finding it to her satisfaction yet again, she slammed it before Hiccup could even peer in.

"There's nothin' there," Merida said in exasperation, and continued with her fast steps.

"Still going fast!" Hiccup exclaimed, chasing the redhead furiously. Merida whirled around so fast at that point, Hiccup almost ran into her.

"_And ye want me tae slow down fer yeh_?" she practically yelled. Hiccup stopped in his tracks, blinking in surprise.

"I-" he began, but was cut off rudely.

"It's bad enough ah've got detention and got stuck with ye, and here yeh are, tryin' tae tell me to slow down?" Merida spewed angrily. "This is why ah don' hang out with the likes of ye!" Hiccup took a few steps backward.

"I-I didn't mean-"

"They never mean it," Merida hissed. "There's a reason yer a nerd, and ah'm a jock, okay? So don' get any ideas."

"Wouldn't dream of it," Hiccup muttered. "Honestly." Merida had heard him and glared hard, but just walked towards the next closet, finding it to her satisfaction when she looked inside.

"Hiccup!" Merida's harsh tone seemed to fade slightly as she called him over. "Yer cleanin' stuff's here." Hiccup pushed past the redhead into the closet, and Merida followed him, the door closing behind them with a click.

"Perfect. Paper towels and spray," Hiccup collected the items while Merida examined the various cleaning supplies in the closet. "Could you get that bucket?" Merida picked up a pale yellow bucket, her nose wrinkled in disgust. Hiccup just smiled broadly, and tried the doorknob. It wouldn't open. Hiccup tried it again. Still stuck. He yanked harder. Nope, not stuck; locked.

"Open the door Hiccup," Merida sighed, impatiently tapping her toes.

"Er- about that-" Hiccup winced. "It's kind of locked...?" That was all it took for Merida's face to turn red as her hair. Hiccup could've sworn that there was steam coming out of the redhead's ears.

"_WHAT_?!"

**Some more Mericcup next chap, promise. Plus, I kinda like Jack teasing Rapunzel about her boyfriend so there will be some more about that. This story isn't FlynnxRapunzel, of course, but I do like the pair, so just know that there will be lots of different ships in this until my final two pairs. :) **


	3. Running from the janitor

**I know what you're all thinking. An update? From me? Get outta here! But I'm not kidding this time when I said that this story has plot, guys! Yay! I need to work on some more stories still, like "CGI High", "When the Moon fell in love with the Sun" , "The need to kill", "The murder of Esmeralda"- all of which are stories I haven't updated in a while. Plus, my keyboard is broken, so I can't write at all. This one was just written up before my keyboard decided to stop working, and since I don't have my stylus, typing stuff will go a lot slower now. Thanks for your support and reviews on this! You're all too sweet. :) **

* * *

Her fingers tried the doorknob again and again. Her hair shook all around her shoulders with each arm movement. Hiccup could only stare at Merida's back, marveling at the way she moved. It was as if a graceful lion was angry. She was banging on the door, yells for Jack or Rapunzel resonating in the tiny space.

"It's no use," Hiccup said finally. "They're not nearby, and this thing must be soundproof." Merida turned to face him, a mixture of realization and anger on her facial features.

"Ye tell mah this now?" she said sarcastically. "Oh, ah'm sorry. Ah didn' realize." Hiccup shrank back, as if her words physically bit.

"Is there a way to unlock it from the inside?" Hiccup asked. Merida snorted.

"If there was, ah would've already picked tha' lock," Merida said irritably.

"Oh," Hiccup said, from his spot on a bucket. "Do you- pick locks often?"

"Only when me mum doesn' want me tae leave the house," Merida said, and her face had turned sour. "She doesn' like it when ah go to parties or anythin', an'-" She stopped as if she had barely realized that Hiccup was there. She uncomfortably looked away.

"Do you want to sit down?" Hiccup asked her, pointing towards another bucket. Merida's first reaction was of disgust, but after surveying her surroundings and not finding a more decent option, she turned the bucket upside down and took a seat reluctantly.

"We've got teh wait till Jack or Rapunzel come by here..." Merida said quietly. It surprised Hiccup, seeing how hateful she seemed to be towards him, that she was actually speaking about something that wasn't an insult.

"You're on the archery team, aren't you?" Hiccup chose to change the topic to something Merida would hopefully like. "Sometimes I see you, on the field, practicing."

"Not jus' archery," Merida said, a faraway look sparking in her eyes. "Ah'm on the girl's soccer team too, 'cause me dad wanted mah tae be, but archery's mah main focus."

"That's really cool," Hiccup said politely. "I'm part of the Mathletes, and the Scholastic Decathlon, but other than that, nothing else sport like." Merida gave another snort.

"Yer such a nerd," she repeated, much like she had at the beginning of detention. "They way ye talk about it, ye'd think ye were proud of it or somethin'."

"I am," Hiccup said unashamedly. "My dad though- he doesn't like to talk about it."

"Why not?" Merida was utterly perplexed at this statement. "If ah was in yer shoes, my mum would be braggin' about mah tae the moon an' back."

"He, uh-" Hiccup inhaled. "Thinks I should join the wrestling team, or the football team, or some manly sport."

"But- yer the size o' a stick," Merida deadpanned.

"Gee, thanks," Hiccup said sarcastically. "I did sign up to join the wrestling team though, don't think I'll get in, of course..." Merida actually burst into a fit of laughter.

"Yeh? In wrestlin'?" Merida was practically laughing her head off. "Ah'm sorry, but yer just so-" Hiccup's face set into a hard line. He hadn't expected her to be so rude in response to what he just said, seeing as she was the first person he'd told about signing up for wrestling.

"I get it, okay?" he snapped uncharacteristically, glaring at the door. "I'm worthless. My dad can't even look at me most of the time, I'm such a failure." Merida instantly shut her mouth, and stared at Hiccup sympathetically. She moved her hand as if she wanted to rest it on Hiccup's shoulder, but instead lowered it onto her own knee.

"Mah mum-" Merida exhaled, deciding to try and open up to Hiccup like he'd just done to her, "Thinks ah'm such a disappointment. She wanted a lady, an' instead- she got me." Hiccup looked at her, and her blue eyes locked into his green eyes in understanding. Merida decided Hiccup wasn't all that bad, and Hiccup thought the same thing about her.

"You're interesting, Merida," Hiccup said softly, so that Merida had to strain to hear him. "You're not as mean as you make yourself out to be."

"Ah jus' insulted yeh, and ye still think that?" Merida said, her eyebrows raised. "Ye really see the good in people, Haddock-"

"Funny," Hiccup said. "Everyone says I can. I just don't believe them. If they're truly good, then there's nothing else there that can hide it so that it's hidden from everyone's sight." Merida fell silent, stared at her hands, the wall, the door, any place that wasn't Hiccup.

"Ah don' think ah'm good," Merida's voice cracked. "Ye see- ah guess it's 'cause ah drink, an' ah smoke, which mah mum doesn' know about- ah'm not even supposed ter do that, because ah'm an athlete-"

"That's not true," Hiccup said. "You are good. You just have some mixed morals." Merida smiled at him sadly, and Hiccup thought absentmindedly how pretty she was when she didn't have an expression of absolute loathing on her face.

"If only we had a phone..." Merida looked away, sighing. "We could call someone tae tell 'em-"

"Maybe we should try and find a way out," Hiccup suggested. "What have we got?" He stood up from his bucket, Merida mirroring his actions, and they both darted to opposite sides of the closet in search for possible things to use.

"Brooms- mops- cleaners-" Merida listed in a bored tone. "There's some sort o' bag mess..."

"Those have sawdust," Hiccup said, as Merida poked the bag. "The janitor uses it for vomit." Merida recoiled immediately. Hiccup looked around on his end, but sadly, besides a few folded ladders and more cleaning supplies, there was nothing.

"Nothin'? Not even a screwdriver or somethin'?" Merida asked. Hiccup shook his head, when what she said registered in his mind.

"A vent!" he shouted, and Merida stared at him like he was crazy. "Is there a vent in here?" Merida looked around, and her eyes landed on the celling, or more specifically, a space covered with metal slabs.

"There!" she said, pointing. Hiccup followed her gaze and his face lit up.

"Maybe we can get out after all!" he said gleefully. "If we find a way to open up that vent-"

"Um, but yer kinda missin' one huge important part tae this," Merida said. "We've got nothin' teh open tha' vent."

"Technicality," Hiccup said, waving his arm around, and untangled a ladder from the mess of the closet. "We've got to try." Merida leaned against the wall, admiration sparking in her eyes.

"Ye don' give up, do yeh Haddock?" she said, smiling for once. And she helped him set up the ladder.

* * *

Jack grabbed Rapunzel by the waist, pulling her next to him behind the teacher's desk. Rapunzel gave a small squeak of indignation, but Jack clamped a cold hand over the blond's mouth and pressed his head to her neck.

"Shh," he whispered, as Rapunzel tried to speak. His icy breath that smelled like spearmint tickled Rapunzel's neck, and she shivered violently. Jack held her tighter, feeling her body writhing stop. The familiar jingle of the janitor's keys sounded again. His feet passed dangerously close to where Jack and Rapunzel were hidden, and he paused next to Rapunzel's foot.

"Left the lights on in here," the janitor said gruffly. "Better fix that, eh?" He talked as if there was someone else there, and for a second, Rapunzel was worried he knew they were there, but the janitor just seemed to be speaking to himself.

His feet moved away, and the room fell back into darkness. Rapunzel squirmed again, and Jack finally let her go. A thud told the two that the janitor had left. Rapunzel scampered out from under the desk, Jack following suit, and he turned the lights back on.

"That was close," Jack said, sighing. "I almost thought he was going to catch us."

"Catch us?" Rapunzel's voice was forceful as she leaned against a lab station. "He almost found us, and he could've told Mr. Black, and then he'd have told my mother, I already had to lie as it is just to come to this detention!"

"So your mom's like that, huh?" Jack said, and walked towards Rapunzel. "The type of woman who's raising this honor student, and who doesn't want you to get detention and spoil your spotless record?"

"No," Rapunzel frowned, giving a small huff. Jack smirked.

"Honestly Punz, you're too easy," he said, and walked towards the front of the room.

"Easy?!"

"Oh, relax," Jack said to the fierce look on Rapunzel's face. "I wasn't even talking about sex this time. You're just fun to mess with sometimes." Rapunzel blushed at the comment, and refused to look at him after that. Instead, she let her gaze wander towards the chemistry teacher's desk, the student desks, and examined the lab equipment set out on them.

"We're doing a lab on Monday then," Rapunzel noted, studying a beaker. "She's left out supplies." Jack laughed, his silver tongue stud flashing again.

"Of everything, you notice that?" he said. "Punz, I hardly even know you, and I already know that you're such a killjoy."

"A killjoy?" Rapunzel tried the word out, pronouncing it slightly wrong. "Why's that?"

"Meaning-" Jack moved closer to Rapunzel until his chest was pressed against hers. When he spoke, his breath tickled the girl's lips. "That you're in a classroom, alone, without a teacher, and all you notice is that she's set up for her lesson." Rapunzel flushed red, looking away as Jack moved apart from her.

"What's the first thing you notice then?" she tried to sound sassy but ended up failing, cringing afterward.

"The endless opportunities to take out a Benson Burner and light that bra we found on fire," Jack hopped onto a lab stool. "Or just trash the place."

"Jack!" Rapunzel scolded in a motherly tone. "You can't-"

"Didn't say I would, now did I?" Jack said, playing with a handout on the desk. "I learned my lesson last time."

"What happened last time?" Rapunzel asked curiously, against her will. Jack sent a crooked smile her way.

"Let's just say I almost got some juvie," Jack said, "And at least two months of detention." He hopped off of the lab stool. "Want to go look for the other two?"

"Might as well," Rapunzel said. "Now that you've got your phone." Looking at the phone in Jack's hand, she realized something. "Wait, didn't you hand in a phone to Mr. Black?"

"A phone I- um, borrowed," Jack said, but Rapunzel didn't get the assumption that he had stolen it. Instead, he had the most heartbreaking look in his eyes, as if what Rapunzel had said hurt.

"Okay," Rapunzel said quietly, and Jack snapped out of it, letting a smile float on his face again.

"Here, let's make sure they didn't kill one another in the time we left them alone," Jack said, and opened the door. "After you." Rapunzel graciously smiled and walked out into the corridor. Jack was a bit of an ass, but he was also really sweet at times. He always had a smile on his face. He really did have a love for fun. And Rapunzel admired him for that.

"Who's phone did you borrow?" Rapunzel asked, once the two were walking down the hallway.

"A-" the sad look was back on Jack's face. "Uh, a friend's." Rapunzel could tell she was hitting a nerve on the subject, but she was so curious.

"So, how did you get into detention?" Rapunzel bounded on her heels. Jack's smile returned as he faced Rapunzel.

"Alas, I was caught throwing water on a douchebag," he smirked. "What about you?" Rapunzel tittered at his response before taking a stab at answering herself.

"I got caught sneaking out with my boyfriend," she admitted. Jack's smile twitched ever so slightly before he widened it.

"Boyfriend. Right," he said. "He didn't get caught?"

"No, he ran faster than me," Rapunzel laughed lightly. "And I didn't want to drag him down with me."

"So selfless," Jack said. "But I have to say- nice job, Punz." Rapunzel's smile mirrored Jack's, and the two just grinned idiotically at one another until they reached the classroom they had been serving detention in. Jack opened the door, but no indication of Hiccup and Merida greeted them.

"Merida?" Rapunzel called. "Hiccup?" Toothless came up to them, limping up towards them with his mouth open in an attempt of a smile. His broken teeth made Rapunzel jump, but other than that, nothing.

"They must've gotten lost," Jack said, leaning in the doorway. "Should we go look for them?"

"I guess so-" Rapunzel stooped to give Toothless a fond pat. "They can't have gotten far."

"Hallways then?" Jack moved towards the door. Rapunzel followed, reluctantly leaving Toothless in her wake, the kitten meowing after her. "He's so cute," Rapunzel smiled at the thought of the cat, bounding on her heels.

"Who, Hiccup?" Jack played dumb, that infuriating smirk on his face. "I'll make sure to let that boyfriend of yours know-"

"Who do you hang out with at school, Jack?" Rapunzel chose to ignore the dig and instead wanted to find a new topic. "I've hardly seen you around."

"You're too nice for your own good," Jack frowned, just as quickly moving along to the next topic with her. "Trying to find out about my life as if you actually care."

"I do!" Rapunzel insisted. Jack smiled crookedly.

"Far too nice," he chuckled. "Well, you might know them. There's North, and then there's Aster, Sandy, and Tooth."

"Tooth?" Rapunzel said curiously. "Do you mean Toothiana? She's on the cheerleading team! I always called her Ana though-"

"Tooth is her nickname, reserved for special friends," Jack winked. "Just like mine."

"You have a nickname?" Rapunzel asked.

"Jack," Jack said. "That's my nickname. Technically, my name is Jackson."

"Does anyone call you Jackson?" Rapunzel asked, the name oddly formal sounding in her mouth.

"Just teachers," Jack said. He and Rapunzel had walked in front of a storage closet, and found it closed. Jack pulled the door open, and a few mops flew out towards them.

"Yep, this here's the janitor's closet," he said, and walked inside. Surveying the topsy-turvy area, he wondered aloud, "Looks like they've been in here- but the question is, how did they get out? It locks right after you close the door behind you."

"How do you know that?" Rapunzel asked, frowning. Jack just patiently smirked again.

"Well- let's just say I got stuck with these two annoying freshmen last week-" Jack said. "That'll be the last time they call Tooth cute. Gave 'em a real scare."

"Is Tooth your girlfriend?" Rapunzel asked. Jack laughed, a slow, disbelieving laugh.

"Nope, she's Aster's girlfriend. But she is my friend, so I don't want any drooling ninth graders lusting after her," Jack said. "Now, where did they go?" Just as he turned to leave, something caught Rapunzel's attention.

"There!" she pointed at the vent. It had been forced apart, bent and allowing a space for somebody to crawl through. A ladder had been tossed haphazardly to the side, right next to it. Stooping next to the ladder, Jack picked up a small necklace.

"Looks like this belongs to Merida," he said, and pocketed it. "Guess they decided to crawl through there." He peered up with Rapunzel at the small space. "That Hiccup guy sure is smart, I'll give him that."

Rapunzel rocked back and forth on her heels, staring at Jack as he looked up at the vent. "So.." she trailed. "Should we follow them?" Jack shook his head.

"Nope, by now they must've already gotten pretty far. I say we go where the vent ends and cut them off," he said.

"Where does the vent end?" Rapunzel asked, and Jack grimaced.

"Yeah, that's where it gets tricky. Because of this prank involving green gas, I learned that the vent ends up in every classroom," he said. "We've got to break into a few more classrooms, Punz-"

"Why can't we just wait for them back in the detention room?" Rapunzel asked, fearful enough as it was to break even more rules.

"Someone's got to warn them about the janitor," Jack said. "If he catches them, they're dead meat. Costs them another month's detentions."

"How do you know-?"

"Happened about- eh, three weeks ago?" Jack said. "Funny story actually. But that's for another time. Come on, we've got a lot of classrooms to stop by."

"But we can't break into them all!" Rapunzel said. "We won't find them in time. And I'm running out of bobby pins." The hair floating in front of her eyes was an indication of that, and she pushed it back impatiently.

"We could always- take the janitor's keys," Jack said, a devilish smile coming onto his face.

"B-but-" Rapunzel stammered. "That's worse-!"

"Less time consuming," Jack said. "Up for it, Punz?" Rapunzel gulped. Well, she didn't really have a choice at that point. She did, actually, as a small part of her brain nagged her about it, but what the hell. She'd had enough rules all her life.

"Yes."

* * *

Hiccup had made sure to take some sawdust in his pocket to mark his trails. If the vent was anything like it was in movies, it was sure to be pretty tricky. And so far, it prove to be just that.

Merida was calling for him in the cramped space, and Hiccup caught a glimpse of her black sneakers as she turned a corner. Hiccup crawled after her, leaving a thin line of sawdust behind him as he heaved himself through the tight squeeze.

"Hiccup!" Merida's voice echoed. "Where tae?"

"Ugh-" Hiccup dwindled on that. "Keep going right. We're sure to find a vent somewhere else!" A mumble of curse words followed from Merida, but the girl dutifully kept crawling, still unhappy at this. Still, Hiccup felt good about this. At least she wasn't being mad at him anymore just for being a loser.

"Here's one!" Merida said, sounding excited for the first time. Crawling past the vent, she faced Hiccup and both of them crouched over the metal barricade.

"We've got to rip it off-" Hiccup said. "Merida, you brought your knife, right?" Merida brandished her pocket knife, the same one that had taken out the first vent cover. Hiccup took it, and worked on the little screws. Merida looked through the small gaps the slabs of metal didn't cover into the classroom below. A few desks stood there, and a pretty long drop, but nothing else. Nothing remotely dangerous-

A satisfied sigh distracted Merida, and she saw that Hiccup had managed to unscrew one side. He began to work on the next one, and Merida couldn't help but give a fond smile. He looked so in his element as he did this, his fingers and the knife moving like a machine, expertly leaving the metal screws in his wake. It made her wonder how much he'd worked on tinkering.

"Why do ye do that?" Merida asked, and Hiccup paused briefly, flashing a question in his eyes towards her. Merida examined the knife. "Yeh know, just work on it like ye seem tae have been doin' it fer a long while-"

"I'm actually part of Robotics," Hiccup flushed red. "And- I, um, sometimes help my dad when he's working on his car. Stuff like that." He continued his ministrations on the vent, Merida watching him curiously. After a while, though, her gaze drifted towards the walls of their enclosure, studying the gray.

"Got it!" Hiccup cried gleefully, and moved to pry off the vent cover. He struggled with it, his fingertips straining white, so Merida yanked it off in one movement. "Thanks-" Hiccup said weakly, and Merida shoved it somewhere behind her, looking down into the classroom.

"Here-" she said, cautiously moving so that her feet were in front of her and dangled them into the open space, ducking her head so she fit. "Ah'll go in first." Maneuvering herself down, gripping the edge, she kicked out to a nearby desk, landing hard on her knees and grasping a chair quickly to avoid falling. "Yer turn!" Hiccup cautiously set his two feet out, and then tried to grab onto the vent, but missed it altogether and came crashing down onto the hard floor.

"Augh!" he cried out in pain, grasping his shoulder and rising off the floor. "Ow- I'm never doing that again-"

"Hiccup, ye blunderin' idiot!" Merida snapped. "Ye've gone and hurt yerself!" She moved off of the desk, crouched by Hiccup, and roughly yanked his shoulder towards her to examine it.

"Really, Merida, I'm fine," Hiccup said, pulling his shoulder away. As he did, he caught sight of her leg. "Merida, you're bleeding!" Merida glanced down at her knee as if it were the first time, spotted the trickle of blood moving down her calf.

"That's nothin'," she said, smearing it with her fingers. Wiping her blood off on her jean shorts, she stood up and offered Hiccup a hand, which he took gratefully, not even caring that she'd just cleaned her blood with it.

"Now what?" he asked. "You need a band-aid. It's a classroom, they're bound to have a first aid kit." He walked to the teacher's desk, and began looking through the drawers.

"Really, Hiccup!" Merida rolled her eyes. "The way yer actin', it's as if ah'm bleedin' out over th' floor!"

"It could get infected," Hiccup continued, and found a small red pack. "Here!" Inside, he also found an ice pack, which he set to his own shoulder and handed Merida a band-aid.

Merida rolled her eyes but smiled her thanks, slapping the band-aid crookedly onto her knee. Hiccup surveyed their area. Looked like a math classroom.

"Ah can pick the lock on this door," Merida said, stood in front of the door. "Got mah knife, Hiccup?" Hiccup nodded, and handed her her knife, which she started moving into the lock. Just as she did, she spotted Jack and Rapunzel walking down the hallway.

"It's them!" she said, and began to bang on the door's window. "Jack! Rapunzel!" Rapunzel caught sight of Merida's frantic fists, and pulled Jack with her to rescue them. Jack got out a set of keys and unlocked the door before Merida could pick it, and Merida tumbled out as he opened it. Hiccup ran after her, still clutching the ice pack.

"Where'd you guys get the keys?" Hiccup asked.

"Took 'em from the janitor," Jack boasted, jingling them before setting them back in his pocket. "Old man didn't even notice. Where'd you guys run off to?"

"Got stuck in the closet," Hiccup said. "We couldn't even get the stuff to clean up after Toothless. We're going to just have to go back to the closet, and-"

"No time for that, the janitor's back," Jack said. "Which means we're leaving unless you all want more detention."

"Good idea," Hiccup breathed his relief. "But- eh- if the janitor's back, won't he be missing his keys?"

"That's why we should leave," Rapunzel said, distracted by Hiccup and Merida's appearance. "Um-" She turned to Jack, raising her eyebrows in a sign that he should tell them.

"What?" Hiccup asked.

"You two look like hell," Jack said. "What happened?"

"It's just a scratch!" Merida said angrily.

"Not that-" Rapunzel tittered. "I think he means the brown stuff in your hair."

"Brown stuff in mah-" Merida touched her red curls gingerly, and sawdust fluttered out.

"_HICCUP HADDOCK, YER DEAD MEAT_!"

* * *

Their detention escapades aren't over just yet, I tell ya- but there will be a continuation in which they all go back to school. I wanted Merida and Hiccup to actually open themselves up a little, the same with Jack and Rapunzel, so that's the reason for this chapter. It'll be essential to later plot.


End file.
